Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Links to and discussion of garden railway video footage or videos of real railways which might inspire members with their modelling
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FWLR
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by FWLR » Thu Apr 01, 2021 8:07 am

Thanks Rik, for again another very interesting video. I really enjoyed them all.

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by gregh » Thu Apr 01, 2021 8:45 am

GAP wrote: Wed Mar 31, 2021 10:17 pm A fine series of videos Rik, well done. :thumbup: :thumbup:
DITTO.

So what are the next plans for the PLR? Seems you have enough industries. Any possibility of creating more space in the garden?
BTW, I don't think you covered your river construction in the videos. Or did I just miss it?
Greg from downunder.
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Thu Apr 01, 2021 12:28 pm

gregh wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 8:45 am So what are the next plans for the PLR? Seems you have enough industries. Any possibility of creating more space in the garden?
BTW, I don't think you covered your river construction in the videos. Or did I just miss it?
Hi Greg
Not entirely sure what I'll do next. I need to consolidate what I've done so far and I do need to add some fine detailing in places, eg around the engine shed. Also, Bickerton Station hasn't had much attention. I'd like to enlarge it but space is very tight there.

No, I decided not to include the river construction. There are quite a few things I missed out - eg converting locos to battery, adding sound cards and adding other goods stock. I wanted to try and keep each episode to ten minutes or so ....

Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by GAP » Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:44 pm

ge_rik wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 12:28 pm
gregh wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 8:45 am So what are the next plans for the PLR? Seems you have enough industries. Any possibility of creating more space in the garden?
BTW, I don't think you covered your river construction in the videos. Or did I just miss it?
Hi Greg
Not entirely sure what I'll do next. I need to consolidate what I've done so far and I do need to add some fine detailing in places, eg around the engine shed. Also, Bickerton Station hasn't had much attention. I'd like to enlarge it but space is very tight there.

No, I decided not to include the river construction. There are quite a few things I missed out - eg converting locos to battery, adding sound cards and adding other goods stock. I wanted to try and keep each episode to ten minutes or so ....

Rik
In bold; So there are more themes available for more videos then?
Graeme
From the home of the Ringbalin Light Railway
https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspo ... -page.html

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:23 am

GAP wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:44 pm .......So there are more themes available for more videos then?
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Graeme, but I think I've prevailed upon the goodwill of my YouTube audience a bit too much lately. Though I might do a summary of the the previous year's progress from now at the start of each new year.

Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by GAP » Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:25 pm

ge_rik wrote: Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:23 am
GAP wrote: Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:44 pm .......So there are more themes available for more videos then?
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Graeme, but I think I've prevailed upon the goodwill of my YouTube audience a bit too much lately. Though I might do a summary of the the previous year's progress from now at the start of each new year.

Rik
Prevail away my good man; everyone loves a "how I did it" video or is that just me.
Graeme
From the home of the Ringbalin Light Railway
https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspo ... -page.html

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Thu Apr 15, 2021 4:02 pm

Not the most exciting video, but a quick tour of the latest version of my computerised freight management system. This one uses Google Sheets - reason being I wanted something which I could run on my phone or tablet out in the garden as well as on my laptop. It's online meaning they synchronise, so any changes on one device are replicated on the others. More importantly, it's free!

It's not the prettiest of user interfaces, but it does the job - and (I might have already mentioned this), it's free - providing you don't mind selling your soul to Google.

Anyhow, y'ere tis .....




Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by Lonsdaler » Thu Apr 15, 2021 5:26 pm

Is it on your blog yet Rik? Just been searching, but I seem to keep coming up with older versions :dontknow:
Phil

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My Line - https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 41&t=11077

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:09 pm

Lonsdaler wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 5:26 pm Is it on your blog yet Rik? Just been searching, but I seem to keep coming up with older versions :dontknow:
No, not yet. It'll be a few days. There's quite a bit to describe.

Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by GAP » Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:38 pm

Very interesting Rik I might give it a go, just not sure about writing 'scripts' I have always struggled with computer/micro-controller programming.
Will wait to see what is on the blog
Graeme
From the home of the Ringbalin Light Railway
https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspo ... -page.html

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:15 am

GAP wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:38 pm Very interesting Rik I might give it a go, just not sure about writing 'scripts' I have always struggled with computer/micro-controller programming.
Will wait to see what is on the blog
Hi Graeme
I'll post the code in its entirety so all you'll have to do is copy and paste it. You might then be able to tweak it to do what you want it to do.

Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by sjrixon » Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:09 am

70 wagons! And you pack them all away. That's amazing.. It must take quite a while to get each wagon out into the correct place?

Really like this way of doing things, brings reason and value to your freight operations. I've used cards with my 00, but never with the garden railway, I need a few more locations really..

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by Lonsdaler » Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:55 am

ge_rik wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 9:09 pm
Lonsdaler wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 5:26 pm Is it on your blog yet Rik? Just been searching, but I seem to keep coming up with older versions :dontknow:
No, not yet. It'll be a few days. There's quite a bit to describe.

Rik
No worries - I just couldn't find it :salute:
Phil

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My Line - https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 41&t=11077

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:56 pm

Lonsdaler wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 5:26 pm Is it on your blog yet Rik? Just been searching, but I seem to keep coming up with older versions :dontknow:
There now
https://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2021/0 ... eight.html

Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by Lonsdaler » Sat Apr 17, 2021 6:30 pm

ge_rik wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:56 pm
Lonsdaler wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 5:26 pm Is it on your blog yet Rik? Just been searching, but I seem to keep coming up with older versions :dontknow:
There now
https://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2021/0 ... eight.html

Rik
Thanks Rik! :thumbup:
Phil

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My Line - https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 41&t=11077

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by thornmini » Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:10 pm

Hi Rik -- Just wondering? I've been happily and successfully using your original Freight Manager program for several years so I'm not sure if I should try a switch to your new version. I've watched your video and have read your thorough blog entry about it so I sort of understand why you created it. Obviously you have taken a lot of time and mental effort to put it together but I'm also curious whether it works any better (more realistic distribution of rolling stock perhaps) or is easier to program (setting up the weightings of distribution) or simply is more user friendly overall? I must admit I am really leaning to try the new version out but I thought and realize that I am fortunately able to get further insight directly from the source (if you would do me the honor). Thanks for your valuable time in advance, Mike
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Mon Apr 19, 2021 10:42 pm

thornmini wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:10 pm Hi Rik -- Just wondering? I've been happily and successfully using your original Freight Manager program for several years so I'm not sure if I should try a switch to your new version. I've watched your video and have read your thorough blog entry about it so I sort of understand why you created it. Obviously you have taken a lot of time and mental effort to put it together but I'm also curious whether it works any better (more realistic distribution of rolling stock perhaps) or is easier to program (setting up the weightings of distribution) or simply is more user friendly overall? I must admit I am really leaning to try the new version out but I thought and realize that I am fortunately able to get further insight directly from the source (if you would do me the honor). Thanks for your valuable time in advance, Mike
Hi Mike
It's very similar to the original. I just fancied having something I could interact with out in the garden. The principal differences are:

1. The weightings are set up for types of wagon rather than each individual wagon. It makes setting up easier but, as you know, once the setting up has been done then you can more or less forget about it.
2. It's probably not quite as user friendly as the original. It's written with a spreadsheet and so it's not really possible to design each tab - basically each tab is just another worksheet.
3. The biggest difference is that, rather than creating and then accepting the train. Once you have decided to go with a train you can then transfer each wagon to its new location as and when you do it, rather than committing yourself to having to transfer them when the train has been accepted. It gives you a bit of flexibility.
4. I've been finding it's not as easy as I'd hoped to interact with the app out in the garden. My tablet is easier to read than my phone, but my tablet loses the wifi signal and so it doesn't update the wagon locations until it gets the wifi signal back again. The phone can update on the fly but the screen is tricky to see.

My little Psion works really well - the screen is easy to see and it updates easily on the fly. The problem with it is that it keeps running out of memory and so stops. It was built in the days when a Gigabyte was only feasible on mainframe computers......

So, unless you really want to squint at your phone screen (or maybe your phone has a better display than mine), then you might prefer to stay with the original. I'm thinking, I might go back to the print-outs unless I can either find a way of increasing the system memory on my Psion or finding a way of getting compressing the program on it to take up less space.

Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by ge_rik » Tue Apr 20, 2021 10:00 am

My latest .... A stroll down the line



Enjoy ..... (please)

Rik
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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by Peter Butler » Tue Apr 20, 2021 10:34 am

A real treat for morning viewing, inspiration for me to get my line in order.
Great story, perfect pictures and sound balance just right.
The best things in life are free.... so why am I doing this?

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Re: Peckforton Light Railway - Video Library

Post by thornmini » Tue Apr 20, 2021 12:45 pm

Well Rik you have certainly given me a lot to think about :roll: For someone who still uses a "flip-phone" (that's me!) it might well appear that I may be getting in over my head by using Sheets. Really appreciate your honest assessment and I'll think on it some more--- I don't usually give up too easily.
Waldeker EisenBahn

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